Bezel holding ring



)mmM/M ATTORNEYS INVENTOR. ALFRED H. EMERY BY K T y 22, 1956 A. H. EMERYBEZEL HOLDING RING Filed Oct. 29, 1955 United States PatentO BEZELHOLDING RING Alfred H. Emery, Athol, Mass., assignor to The L. S.Starrett Company, Athol, Mass., a corporation of Man sachusettsApplication October 29, 1953, Serial No. 389,135

3 Claims. (Cl. 292--256.6)

This invention relates to a novel bezel holding ring adapted to lock abezel ring in place on a housing. I am aware that spring rings haveheretofore been employed for this purpose, but such rings have commonlybeen permanent locks that do not permit removal of the bezels from thehousings. The primary object of my invention resides in the productionof an improved locking ring that permits easy and convenient removal andreplacement of the bezel ring.

My improved locking ring embodies a substantially annular piece ofspring wire adapted to rest within an annular and outwardly facinggroove in a housing and provided with diametrically opposed andoutwardly extending portions for engaging within an inwardly facinggroove of a bezel ring to lock the bezel ring to the housing. The bezelring is provided with a hole therethrough to its groove and throughwhich a tool can be inserted to engage and force one of the lockingportions of the ring inwardly to a position permitting removal of thebezel ring. The locking ring furthermore preferably includes inwardlydirected ends securing the ring against rotary movement on the housing.The production of a spring locking ring of this nature and for thepurpose described comprises a further object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawing in which-- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a gaugeemploying my improved locking ring to secure its bezel ring on thehousing, portions of the housing being illustrated as broken away,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 1, partially in section on line3--3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a rear View of the gauge on a reduced scale and with the rearclosure plate partially broken away,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a locking ring portionillustrated in Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a like view illustrating the ring releasing operation, and

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the locking ring.

in the drawing Iii) indicates the annular housing of a gauge including afront plate 12 secured by screws 14. A back closure plate 15 is securedto the housing by screws 16. A bezel ring 18 is mounted on and over thefront plate of the housing and carries a crystal 20. My invention hereinmore particularly includes a locking ring 22 for securing the bezel ring18 to the housing.

The face plate 12 is provided with an annular flange 24 which cooperateswith the annulus to provide an annular and outwardly facing groove 26 inthe housing. The bezel ring 18 is adapted to fit over the front plate ofthe housing as illustrated in Fig. 2 and is provided with an inwardlyfacing annular groove 28 therein opposed to the groove 26. The lockingring 22 is adapted to rest 2,746,785 Patented May 22, 1956 "ice withinthe groove 26 and preferably, as illustrated in the drawing, it isprovided with two inwardly directed ends 30 extending into holes 32 inthe face plate 12 to secure the ring against rotation in the groove.Thus securing the ends of the ring prevents movement and possiblebinding of the ring in the groove 26 when the bezel ring is rotated. Thelocking ring has an outwardly bowed portion 34 disposed diametricallyopposite to the ends 30 and two like outwardly bowed portions 36respectively adjacent to the ends 30. When the parts are in the positionillustrated in Figs. 1-3 the portions 34 and 36 extend outwardly intothe groove 28 and secure the bezel ring to the housing.

The bezel ring is freely rotatable on the housing and is provided with ahole 38 therethrough for receiving a releasing tool 40. When the ring isturned to the position of Fig. 1 wherein the hole 38 registers with thelocking portion 34 of the locking ring, the tool can be inserted anddepress the portion 34 to the position illustrated in Fig. 6 and whereinit is free from the groove 28. The bezel ring can then be tiltedoutwardly from the face plate and removed.

Any suitable means can be provided for locating the hole 38 over thelocking portion 34 of the locking ring. In Fig. 4 I have illustrated anarrow 42 on the inner frame 44 which is fixed to the face plate. Thuswhen the closure plate 15 is removed the bezel ring can be rotated toregister the hole 38 with the arrow. In Fig. 5 I have illustrated thelocking portion 34 as marked at 46 which marking is visible through thehole and can be employed to register the hole with the portion 34 whenit is desired to remove the bezel ring. It will be apparent however thatsince the locking ring is secured at 3032 the releasable portion 34 isalways in the same position and it is therefore easy to dispose thereleasing hole 38 thereover.

It will now be apparent that I have produced a rela tively simple andinexpensive locking ring for securing bezel rings to various instrumentsor housings and that the invention permits free rotation of the bezel,securing of the bezel at triangularly arranged points thereabout, andquick and convenient removal and replacement of the bezel rings wheneveroccasion requires.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An instrument including an annular housing having a substantiallyannular and radially outwardly facing groove therein, an annular bezelring on and coaxial with the housing and having an inwardly facingannular groove therein opposed to the first named groove, asubstantially annular and resilient wire locking ring disposed withinthe first named groove, means for securing the locking ring againstannular movement on the housing, and substantially diametrically opposedand outwardly directed locking portions carried by the locking ring andextending into the second named groove, the bezel ring having a holetherethrough to the second named groove through which an instrument canbe engaged with and force one of said locking portions of the ringinwardly to a position freeing the bezel ring therefrom.

2. The instrument defined in claim 1 in which said locking portions ofthe locking ring comprise an outwardly bowed portion at one side of thelocking ring and two relatively adjacent locking portions at thediametrically opposite sides thereof.

3. The instrument defined in claim 1 in which said means for securingthe locking ring against annular movement comprises two inwardlyextending end portions on the locking ring engaging within holes in thehousing,

said locking portions of the locking ring comprising an outwardly bowedlocking portion diametrically opposite to said end portions and anoutwardly bowed locking portion adjacent to each end portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSMeurling June 17, 1930 Widmer June 8, 1943

